Pay-as-you-throw hearing requested
By Melissa Muntz Community Reporter

Shrewsbury - In the wake of discussions about possibly moving to a pay-asyou throw trash removal system in Shrewsbury next year, local tax watchdog group Seniors for Responsible Taxation (SRT) has requested that the Board of Selectmen hold a public hearing on the issue to take place this month.

In a statement released to local news outlets and the Board of Selectmen, SRT Chair Benjamin Tartaglia argued that charging people for trash removal would be a way of increasing taxes for people who had just voted down a tax increase this past May.

Paying for trash removal is an idea that's been on the horizon for some time in Shrewsbury.

Prior to the defeat of a Proposition 2-1/2 override last May, Selectman Maurice DePalo warned people that services provided by the town would have to be examined and reprioritized without additional funds, and that free trash removal could be a thing of the past.

"This will impact the municipal side in a way people might see a lot more readily than they have in the past," DePalo said in February.

The Board of Selectmen has mentioned having a public hearing on the issue, but has not set a timeline for the hearing. Tartaglia said he thinks the hearing should be held this month to allow for a lot of time for discussion before the next budget cycle begins.

"SRT urges taxpayers to make their wishes known to the Board of Selectmen and the town manager," Tartaglia said.